Your Niqab Questions Answered!

Obviously, I am not every Muslim woman’s story nor am I a benchmark. But there are many like me who hang this most controversial piece of cloth on their face, unflinchingly and unapologetically. Those who aren’t smothered, oppressed or chained behind that veil. It is just a part of our identity and our informed choice.

We are not a piece of fabric. An extra layer of clothing does not make us any better than an unveiled woman (That’s Allah’s dominion). It is just how we manage our own spirituality and connection with our Creator…

So it shouldn’t be assumed that we are entrapped in some suffocating cloak and need to be saved. Not all of us need to be liberated by removing our coverings. It is rather a very uneducated misconception and can lead to robbing someone of their personal choices. Your saving us without truly knowing our story will cost us our freedom. We have a right and every ability to make our own decisions.

People generally don’t get to know much about it from somebody who wears it. They haven’t lived it or even befriended one with it. They know about it from people who talk about it, what is presented on media or judge it from outside that boundary. Ignorance can breed fear and even worse, contempt.

Some are enraged there even has to be anyone like us here at all. But we’re here, and we’re not going anywhere. We’re not the only one. People may call us extremists, but we are not affected by the pebbles that they throw from their mouths. We will be as polite as we can be, but we won’t be sorry for it. Sorry for who we are.

We’ll keep shining bright, even if the shining light of our gemstones won’t be white.

NOTE: Above is an excerpt from the article chosen for publication on ‘Cosmopolitan Magazine Middle East‘ and its republication rights have been bought by ‘The Intellect Magazine‘, so we can’t post the full article yet. A small extension of the article can also be read on AltMuslimah. Subscribe or Like our Facebook page to stay updated.

Feel free to download this art print from #AlhamdulillahForSeries to show diversity in Islam and how we can all coexist <3 Please tag us if you happen to print it out or post it on social media 🙂 Facebook, Instagram, Twitter

UPDATE:

We’re seeing our illustration (one as a featured image) going viral. This has been happening since February! and we’ve been ignoring the fact that no one is crediting the original source (and some even went to the extent of removing the logo and site name from the image) but recently, we’re seeing it being misused A LOT. Hence causing A LOT of negativity around niqab and Islam. Which is NOT OK! This is what happens when you don’t link back to the original source – people start to take it out of context!

This illustration is an experience of niqabis themselves. It’s not instructional. It’s educational. It’s the answers to all the questions we get as niqabis all the time. Questions like: Do you dress like that at home too? You wear that in front of your father too? Do you cover even in a non-Muslim country? Would you doll up in a wedding where there are men too? So we simply illustrated how we usually go about in our day to day lives.

The illustration is simply to raise awareness of how our own choices form the basis of how we dress in different scenarios!

And whoever posted it without the whole article we wrote on it, completely missed the point.The problem got even worse when accounts with HUGE following, handled by men, started posting it as an instruction. It escalated the same problem we are trying to solve here. We do not cover our faces because of patriarchy. It is OUR OWN CHOICE. Not dictated by a man. And when niqabis post it (even without giving us the credit), we are fine with it because at least the message is not being distorted. But if you are posting it as an instruction or to show yourself better than the others, it’s NOT OK! Not at all. Please don’t burn the bridges we are trying to build here by presenting unoppressed-narratives by niqabis themselves.

and If you think that plagiarism is ok, then that’s a whole new topic we’ll have to write a full post on!

If you see the image around, please direct them to this original post, so it is not taken out of context (causing so much negativity) in shaa Allah. Jazakumullah khairan katheera to all those who have supported us and to all those who stood up for the right thing! <3

Comments

MashaAllah the niqaab or faceveil in Islam I believe not only proves how much love a Muslimah has for Allah and His noble Messenger Muhammad SallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam but it also allows others to be in touch with you through your personality and speech rather than just judging your physical appearance. I’ve written a poem about the beauty of niqab on my blog if you’d like to read it you are most welcome sisters in Islam 🙂 JazakAllahu khair for sharing your Islamic knowledge 🙂

Wasalaam from a niqaabi sister too from the Philippines 🙂
JustSharingIslam

Obviously, I am not every Muslim woman’s story nor am I a benchmark…
An extra layer of clothing does not make us any better than an unveiled woman. Most of us choose to wear niqab because it is a Sunnah. It doesn’t mean that we consider it obligatory; nor does it mean that we consider those who do not wear the niqab, less chaste or modest. It is just how we manage our own spirituality and connection with Allaah 🙂

JazakAllaahu khair Annie for your keen interest. May Allaah bless you with the ilm and hikmah.
Like i said that islam can perfectly be understood through quran, sunnah and the way of the salaf. Scholars have differed on this with ample and authentic evidences with both sides. Few say it’s obligatory and few term it as sunnah.
If you want to read i detail about this and couldn’t find it, i will be more than grateful to help 🙂

As’salamo alykum
It’s such a wrong concept that women’s ahraam doesn’t allow to cover face…Hazrat Ayesha r.a. did cover her face whenever she was in presence of na mehrums during hajj/umrah…only difference is that today population of the world is so much increased that it’s impossible to be in na-mehrum-free zone even during hajj/umrah…but this doesn’t mean women are allowed to remain without pardah…according to Saudi fatawa committee only such a cloth isn’t allowed that’s made solely for the purpose of niqab…but following the example of Mother Ayesha r.a. v have to cover our face using our headscarf/chaadar etc. anything that’s not made solely for niqab purpose

Using the example of not allowing to cover your face during hajj is actually a really weak argument. There are so many things in hajj and umrah that men and women are not allowed to do. Like men are not allowed to wear trousers or shirts during hajj, yet they wear it outside of hajj. You’re not allowed to hunt/intercourse/clipp nails/pull hair out – but all these things are allowed outside of hajj.

To answer the question asked in comments, what I’ve learnt so far:
“Surah Noor and Surah Nisa (if I’m not mistaken) contains Orders of covering. One contains orders which allow a woman to not cover her face, wrists and feet. This is actually in front of all Mehrams, i.e., brother, son, father etc. The other Surah Orders to cover in full, and that is what addresses the situation when a woman goes out of her house, or is infront of a non-Mehram.”

And to re-iterate, its “obligatory” from ALLAH, much like Namaz and Zakat, as I’ve understood it.

JazakAllaahu khair muslim for your feedback….
Indeed islam can perfectly be understood through quran, sunnah and the way of the salaf. Fuquhah have differed on this with ample and authentic evidences with both sides. Few say it’s obligatory and few term it as sunnah

Although brought up in Saudi Arabia, I have nearly never worn the niqaab, mainly because it isn’t followdd in my community.
The words, illustrations and sicussion above makes me want to start soon, in shaa Allah

As a fellow Niqab wearing woman and not trapped behind that piece of cloth I agree to every word that ou have written. I like people to me know me this way. Rather than putting my face out there I want to be known for my words!

I think it’s a shame the image has been misused so much. I’ve seen it been touted completely out of context and it was really disappointing because it just led to so much fitnah and arguing back and forth in comments etc.

The great ignorance & misconception about hijab and more especially the niqab continues to baffle me. And you are so right, people never ask about it from those who use it. Education and spreading awareness is the best way forward. May Allah bless your dawah effort.

As Seen On…

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